


more than ever

by ericaismeg, foxerica (ericaismeg)



Series: otp: berica [11]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Alicia Boyd, Erica Reyes & Alicia Boyd Friendship, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Meeting the Parents, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 13:18:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5165222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/ericaismeg, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/foxerica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boyd is <i>finally</i> taking Erica home to meet his parents and his little sister. Erica is nervous when she realizes that Alicia's opinion of her matters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	more than ever

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here.](http://foxerica.tumblr.com/post/131460734912/i-know-how-much-you-ship-berica-love-alicia)

♛♝♛♝♛  

****

“Boyd…are you…are you  _nervous?”_  Erica asks, looking at him. Her eyebrows are drawn together and her lips are now pressed tight. She had spent about three hours on the phone with Stiles last night talking about how Boyd had casually asked her to come visit his house after school. Stiles hadn’t thought it was a big deal, not until he’d learned that Boyd had always been a little weird about bringing her home.

She’d dragged Boyd into her crap home life almost immediately. Her absent mother who maybe came home twice a month and her drunken father aren’t a great first impression. But Erica had found it important that Boyd know who she is and where she comes from. She had felt so strongly about their friendship that she had shown him part of her world that it’d taken her two years to show Stiles.

“It’s not that I’m nervous,” Boyd tells her, despite the fact that his thumbs are bouncing on the steering wheel. “It’s just that my home is different than yours.”

Erica wants to huff, roll her eyes, and tell him he’s being ridiculous. Only she knows it’s important to him, so she refrains from doing any of the above. It takes more effort than she wishes it did. She puts her hand on his knee, in an attempt to comfort him. “How so? You don’t talk about it much.”

“You know where you stand with your parents. Mine are…they put on a really big show in front of other people. They make you think they’re really nice. That way when I say anything bad about them, no one believes me.” Boyd sighs and shifts his knee. Erica takes her hand back, unsure how to help him.

“I’ll believe you. No matter what happens, Vernon. I’m on your side.” Erica doesn’t know what else to say so she looks out the window. She plays with her cell phone in her hands, moving it around and occasionally tapping it against her leg.

It vibrates a minute or so later, and she looks down at it.

 

**STILES:** _everything okay?_

 

Erica glances back at Boyd before she responds.

 

**ERICA:** _I think so. We haven’t gotten to his house yet. What if I can’t be there for him in the way he needs me to be?_

**STILES:** _you don’t let people down, erica. no matter what you might think._

**ERICA:** _thanks cupcake._

She puts her phone into the pocket of her sweater and fidgets. They often fell into silence, and it had never been an issues. Boyd is one of the easiest people to be around. He simply accepts things as they are. Erica looks at him and realizes that’s what he’s worried about.

He’s worried she’ll meet his parents and accept them as they are; only it’ll be a lie. She reaches out to put her hand back on his knee. She’s not going anywhere. Boyd glances at her. His lips might not show the smile, but the crinkle at his eyes does.

Erica lets out a soft breath.

“You’re tense,” Boyd comments. “I don’t want you to do this if you don’t want to.”

She scoffs. “Boyd, I plan on marrying you some day. I’m in this.”

Boyd pulls into a driveway a moment later. He turns off the car but doesn’t move just yet. He looks at her, tilting his head, and studying her face. She immediately brings her hands up to her lips.

“What? Did my lipstick smudge?”

“You plan on marrying me?” Boyd asks, his voice so quiet she leans in to hear him better.

Erica realizes that they’re not even  _dating_  yet. It’s a joke she’s been making with Stiles for so long now that she forgot Boyd has no idea how she feels. She closes her eyes, sighing in defeat, before saying, “Um. Yes.”

When she opens her eyes again, Boyd’s smiling at her. “If this night doesn’t change us, promise me that you’ll tell me that again.”

Confused, but willing to agree, she nods. “Promise.”

Boyd gets out of the car first. She doesn’t even realize that she hasn’t moved until Boyd’s opening her door. Erica takes his hand when she gets out, feeling the tension rising in his grip. She doesn’t let go of his hand as they walk up the cute house. Instead, she tugs on it when they reach the front door.

He turns to look at her, alarm in his face. He thinks she’s backing out. But she stands up on her tiptoes and presses her lips to Boyd’s cheek.

“I’m ready.”

When the door swings open, Erica discovers she’s not ready. Boyd’s mother is an absolute charmer. She gushes about how amazing her son is and oh how he brought such a beautiful girl home. Erica remembers in the back of her head that she’s not supposed to like Boyd’s mother but it’s so hard.

She has cookies and tea ready for them, and talks Erica’s ear off for a good half-hour. She suddenly realizes why Boyd is so quiet. He probably couldn’t get a word in growing up with Mrs. Boyd. She occasionally looks at Boyd, to read his expression, but he looks mildly annoyed and unimpressed.

“Mrs. Boyd!” Erica says suddenly. “Do you think it would be okay if Vernon showed me his garden before it gets too dark?”

“You know what, why doesn’t Alicia show you?” Mrs. Boyd says. “I could use a strong man’s help in the kitchen.”

Erica bites her tongue and refrains from rolling her eyes. Okay, yeah, so Mrs. Boyd is a bit much. Erica reaches out to brush her foot against Boyd’s from under the table. It’s the least she can do. He smiles.

“Alicia! Alicia, honey, won’t you come downstairs and take our Vernon’s date out into the gardens?” Mrs. Boyd calls up the stairs.

Boyd takes the opportunity to lean forward and say, “How are you holding up?”

“Wow,” Erica whispers back. “She’s something else, alright.”

Boyd’s lips quirk upwards briefly.

“Oh goodness, she must have her headphones in,” Mrs. Boyd says. “I’ll go up and get her for you. Vernie, honey, won’t you wash the potatoes for dinner?”

Erica vows never to call Boyd Vernie  _ever_. It sounds horrid coming from Mrs. Boyd’s lips. Boyd sighs gently before he stands up and heads into the kitchen.

Once Mrs. Boyd is out of sight and up the stairs, Erica walks over to him. She wraps her arms around his waist, something she’d never felt quiet comfortable doing before. She buries her face into his back.

Boyd pauses whatever he was doing so that he can place his big hands on top of hers. She smiles.

“What’s your sister like?” Erica whispers.

Boyd turns in her embrace to face her. He tilts her face up with two fingers under her chin. “She’s a little hell-raiser. Can’t do anything wrong in my parents’ eyes. I’m actually the bad kid. The disappointer.”

Erica would snort if she doesn’t think Boyd means it.

“She’s tough. Honest. You’ll like her.”

“Should I be worried about her liking me?” Erica asks quietly.

“I don’t think so. She’s heard about you. She won’t let you know right away if she likes you. That usually comes with time.” Boyd presses his lips lightly against her forehead. “Thanks for coming here.”

“Thanks for having me,” Erica murmurs back. She smiles at him for a moment, forgetting that his overbearing mother was bound to come back downstairs any second. Just as it had always been since getting to know him, it feels as though they’re the only ones in the world.

There are loud stomping noises that tell Erica otherwise. She jumps, startled, and Boyd carefully removes his hands from her. She has a feeling that it’s for the best, so she steps back.

Mrs.Boyd enters the kitchen with a girl behind her. Alicia…well, holy shit, Alicia Boyd is stunning. Erica’s lips part in surprise. She has her black hair pulled back in a curly mess of a pony tail. Her makeup is a bit darker than necessary, but Erica remembers that phase. She wears a pair of skinny jeans, a grungy t-shirt, and a long open sweater. Her just-above-the-ankle boots were cute as hell.

“Alicia, this is Vernie’s friend. What did you say your name was again, dear?” Mrs. Boyd asks.

“Erica,” she greets, paying attention to Alicia only. “Would you mind showing me the gardens?”

“Whatever,” Alicia says, eyeing Erica down. She glances at Boyd, who gives a simple nod, before Alicia storms outside. Erica gives Boyd a quick reassuring look before she follows.

When Erica falls in step beside Alicia, she’s surprised by the garden. She had expected something small, not elaborate as though it was out of a movie. “Wow, your brother did all of this? He talks about his garden with such pride but I never realized…it’s huge.”

“Yeah, it’s his hobby.” Alicia kicks a rock and shoves her hands into the pockets of her sweater. “So you must mean something to Boyd if he’s bringing you home. Are you his girlfriend?”

“Not yet,” Erica answers, feeling some tension build up in her shoulders. She glances back at the house to see Mrs. Boyd waving a hand around at Boyd. “Your mother’s something else.”

Alicia smiles at this. She nods. “Yeah, she’s a two-faced bitch, actually.”

“Boyd says she’s really good at putting on a show,” Erica murmurs. They start to walk into the garden and Erica blinks when she realizes it’s bigger than she’d thought a moment ago. And it’s so, so gorgeous. “I get the feeling Boyd doesn’t bring too many people around here.”

“You’re the first,” Alicia says. “I’m trying to figure out what makes you so damn special. He talks about you as though you hung the stars or something stupid.”

Erica laughs at this, shaking her head. “He does not.”

“He does!” Alicia protests. “You are so perfect in his eyes, and I know you can’t be. No one’s perfect. But he basically waxes poetry about you. It’s so annoying to listen to at one in the morning.”

Erica feels blush creep up on her cheeks. “Well, I’m not perfect. Did he tell you about my family?”

“He did. And he even admires how well you handle it, and how you’re basically raising your younger sister on your own.” Alicia huffs. “He hasn’t said one bad word about you.”

“And you don’t trust that because you think I’m going to hurt him,” Erica figures. They turn a corner and she’s startled at house gorgeous the archway is. The flowers dangling from it are purple. She’ll have to ask Boyd what they’re called.

Alicia only makes a humming noise before she turns to look around. “Listen, my mom can’t see us from the house now. So I don’t have to play nice with you. What’s your end goal with my brother? I mean, you’re almost done college now. Where do you see you two going? Because that might be my big brother in there, but I am willing to kill for him if I have to. I’m not above it.”

Erica laughs now, amused. She believes Alicia. She does. But the seventeen year-old doesn’t seem too threatening right now. Maybe because she’s looking down at the ground, kicking a rock, and reminding her of Boyd. “I believe you. But I kind of hope you don’t have to kill me. I plan on marrying him if he’ll have me.”

Alicia lifts her head at this admission. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Erica says. 

“So we’ll probably be sisters or something some day?”

“Yeah, maybe. If Boyd wants me,” Erica tells her. “Seriously though. Tell me what’s up with your mom? She screams fake, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Alicia shrugs. “I don’t know. She gets weird in front of other people. Like she absolutely has to make the best first impression. But you know the story. She hates Boyd for having his back turned to me when we were skating once. I fell through. I almost drowned. Boyd dived in to save me. My parents haven’t forgiven him since. He was twelve. I was six. We didn’t know any better. But they treat him like shit and they always remark about it. I wish he had gotten a dorm room for college or an apartment but he couldn’t afford it.”

Erica isn’t sure what to say to that. She reaches out and slips her arm into Alicia’s. “I, um, I didn’t know that actually.”

“What? Boyd hasn’t told you?” Alicia asks, lifting her head again to look at Erica. “I’m shocked. Why would he bring you here and  _not_  tell you?”

“I think he wants me to get an impression of his your parents first. Then tell me the awful things about them. Like a test, to see whose side I’m on.” Erica shrugs. “Honestly, I don’t blame him. I can see why bringing people home would suck. People see what they want to see. And that would be a doting mother who loves her children. And then people talk about how great your parents are and it’s frustrating because they don’t know.”

Alicia smiles at this. “Yeah, you’re going to be good for Boyd. He smiles a lot when he talks about you. I decided you couldn’t be too bad if you made my brother smile.”

Erica continues to walk in silence with her. She breaks it to say, “You wanted to hate me, didn’t you?”

“Kind of, yeah, but I don’t know. It might be nice to have a sister in my life. I see why my brother likes you so much. You’re easy to talk to.” Alicia sighs and then adds, “I was really prepared to hate you but then you made a snide comment about my mom and well, how can I resist that?”

Erica smiles brightly. “I could always use another sister in my life. Tracy would like you a lot too.”

Alicia frowns. “Tracy? As in Tracy Stewart?”

“Yeah, my mom remarried after she left my dad. But then Tracy’s father died of a heart attack seven or eight years ago and my mom isn’t around. So we moved in with my dad. It’s not…not ideal.” Erica brushes a piece of hair out of her face. “Wow, what is it about you Boyds that make me so willing to talk about this shit?”

Alicia shrugs, and they sit down on a bench. Erica runs her fingers over the wood, not surprised if Boyd built this bench himself. “I guess it’s because we’re not in much of a position to judge. But I like Tracy. She’s nice.”

“I’ll tell her you think so” Erica says, smiling. “I didn’t realize you knew her.”

“We don’t run in the same circles, but she once stopped me from beating the shit out of this annoying kid who was picking on someone so. She can’t be all that bad,” Alicia tells her.

Erica laughs. “That sounds like Tracy. She just wants there to be peace every where. She hates conflict so much.”

“Goody-two-shoes?” Alicia asks her

“Not really, actually. Just has a big heart in a world where that’s become rare, I suppose.”

“Well, I’ll kep an eye out for her for you,” Alicia says. “As long as you keep an eye out for my brother.”

Erica holds out her hand. They shake and she says, “Deal.”

A moment or two of silence passes between them. Erica realizes that this is the second time she’s instantly felt comfortable to sit in silence with. It doesn’t surprise her that much though, seeing as Alicia is Boyd’s little sister. She glances at Alicia and asks, “Think we should go back inside and save your brother?”

“Probably,” Alicia admits. “It’s nice to see that Boyd wasn’t wrong about you. I like you.”

Erica raises her eyebrows.

“Don’t look so surprised. Anyone who wants to marry my brother and means it is good in my books.”

“How do you I mean it?” Erica asks her.

Alicia points a finger at her face and waves it around. “Because of your face. You mean it. Boyd told me your tell when you’re lying. He says you’re pretty shitty at it, which is why he knew that your surprise date for him the other month wasn’t much of a surprise.”

“What?!” Erica exclaims. “He knew?”

Alicia laughs. “Don’t worry. He loved it. C’mon let’s go save my brother from the big bad wolf.”

Erica follows Alicia back inside, silently wondering if the Boyds knew how they affected her. She already likes Alicia enough to know that she would become important to her.

“Hi,” Erica says quietly to Boyd. He raises an eyebrow at her and then llooks at his little sister. Alicia gives him the thumbs-up and then his eyes fall back to Erica’s.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she answers, with a nod. Her hands leave his side and she joins Alicia at the table. “Do you have any card games we can play if Mrs. Boyd and–Vernon don’t need our help in the kitchen?”

“I can smoke your ass in Uno,” Alicia tells her, eyes sparkling.

“Alicia is quiet talented at Uno,” Mrs. Boyd says.

Alicia and Erica roll their eyes at the same time.  _Uno,_  Erica wants to say,  _is a game of luck and chance. With minor strategy. Mrs. Boyd._

Instead, Erica says, “I’d like to see you try.”

 

♛♝♛♝♛

 

“Erica, thanks for coming tonight. I know there’s still stuff I need to explain,” Boyd says quietly when they’re parked outside of her house. Erica shakes her head and reaches out for his hands.

“No rush, Boyd. No rush at all, okay? I’m happy you took me home tonight. Your mother is a piece of work, but I really like your little sister. She’s got spunk and no fear.” Erica gives him a smile. “It’s okay, Boyd. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Boyd tilts his head and studies her for a long, hard moment. Erica’s lips part and she nods slightly. He asks her, “Still wanna marry me, Reyes?”

“More than ever,” she answers. “Maybe we should date first though.”

He laughs, settling two fingers under her chin and puling her forward. His lips meet hers and she smiles into their first kiss.

 

♛♝♛♝♛ 

 

**ERICA:** _i’mma marry him_

**STILES:** _you say that every time you guys finish hanging out. it went well?_

**ERICA:** _yes, and no, this time is different. he KNOWS now._

**STILES:** _he knows hwat?_  
**STILES:** _that you’re going to marry him?!?!!  
_ **STILES:** _i know you’re bad at dating but you don’t tell a guy you’re not seeing that you’re gonna marry himmmmm!_

 

 

**ERICA:** _it’s okay stilinski. we’re officially dating :) :)_

**STILES:** _oh jesus  
_ **STILES:** _I DIBS BEING BEST MAN AT YOUR WEDDING SO I CAN TELL THIS STORY_

**ERICA:** _sure, whatever you want_

♛♝♛♝♛ 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm the biggest Erica/Boyd shipper you will ever meet. Come cry with me about them [here.](http://foxerica.tumblr.com)


End file.
